Cold Brew Coffee with Almond Brown Sugar Syrup

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Learn how to make cold brew coffee with almond and brown sugar syrup to flavor and sweeten it to your liking. Cold brew coffee is smooth, boldly flavored, and will become a warm weather (or year round) staple.

Today is a good day because we’re talking about one of my very favorite things on the planet – coffee. Hot, cold, blended, dark roast, light roast…you name it, I’ve sipped it and enjoyed it. Every year once the weather starts to heat up I begin to look at my afternoon cup of hot coffee a little sideways. I fully appreciate (and usually require) a PM energy boost, but when warm sunbeams are coming through the window? Not feeling a hot beverage as much.

So what solved my problem? Cold brew coffee did, in a big way. I’ve been using Folgers® Coffeehouse Blend to make my cold brew, which is a Medium-Dark roast with a smooth start and a taste that’s bold and distinct at the finish. I’ve had a thing for Folgers® 100% Colombian for years which is also a Medium-Dark roast, so I jumped when I saw the Coffeehouse Blend new at my Publix. I love it! Its great coffee taste stands out perfectly even when adding your favorite coffee mix-ins – creamers, sweeteners, etc.

When I first heard about cold brew coffee, I totally admit that I didn’t think it was such a big deal. I mean, sticking hot coffee in the fridge and then pouring over ice seemed to accomplish the same thing without any extra time or steps, right? Wr-oooong. The taste of cold brew is so much more complex and balanced, and is not bitter at all (which is one of my traditionally-made iced coffee complaints). While cold brew coffee isn’t instantly gratifying, it’s an incredibly easy process and well worth the effort.

The cold brew 411:

As there’s no heat involved at all in this process you’ll need time for the coffee to brew. The jar will sit out at room temperature for at the very least 12 hours, but I recommend somewhere in the 18-22 hour range.

You’ll want to make sure you have a good straining set-up for when the brew time is up to filter out the grounds. I use a sieve and then line it with four layers of cheesecloth for good measure before pouring the cold brew through. No issues with grounds getting through at all.

Once all is said and done, you’ll find yourself with about three cups of cold brew concentrate, meaning once chilled it’s ready to be diluted with cold water, ice, your preferred milk or creamer, etc.

It took about two sips of my first glass of Folgers® Coffeehouse Blend cold brew coffee to know that it was absolutely now a part of my afternoon routine. The Coffeehouse blend, which is perfect for French Press, Cold Brew, and Brew over Ice, has such a robust flavor that I’ve even enjoyed it stirred with just a splash of cold water – no ice, creamer, sweeteners – nada! And that’s from someone who only drinks black coffee when we’ve run out of every last drop of milk/creamer and I can’t possibly muster the energy to head to the store without coffee in the first place. The flavor of this blend is incredible.

Most days though I like something fancier, like ice, milk, and/or a liiiittle bit of sweetness. This Almond Brown Sugar Syrup totally hits the spot and pairs with the flavor of the Coffeehouse Blend so well. Granulated sweeteners have a tendency to not fully dissolve when added to cold drinks, meaning there’s a less-than-ideal grittiness going on. The sugar is fully dissolved in the making of a simple syrup, so a spoonful or two (or three…) added to your cold brew stirs right in.

This syrup features equal parts brown sugar and water, with a little bit of almond extract stirred in once it cools. Add as much or as little to your cold brew coffee to provide your preferred amount of flavor and sweetness, all the while knowing the boldness of the Coffeehouse Blend will still shine through.

My shopping cart has a funny way of screeching to a halt in the coffee/tea/cereal aisle of Publix, right in front of the Folgers® products. We go through coffee quickly in our house, and Publix always has us covered! Be sure to check out Folgers® on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the latest coffee news.

Learn how to make cold brew coffee with almond and brown sugar syrup to flavor and sweeten it to your liking. Cold brew coffee is smooth, boldly flavored, and will become a warm weather (or year round) staple.

Course:
Drink

Servings: 3

Calories: 52kcal

Author: Alyssa

Ingredients

For the cold brew coffee:

3/4cupFolgers® Coffeehouse Blend

3 1/2cupscold water

For the almond brown sugar syrup:

1cupwater

1cupbrown sugar

1/4tspalmond extract

Instructions

For the cold brew coffee:

Add 3/4 cup of Folgers® Coffeehouse Blend to a large jar or container. Pour 3 1/2 cups of cold water over top. Very gently stir so that all of the coffee has moistened.

Cover jar or container with cheesecloth. Let sit at room temperature for at very least 12 hours, up to 24 hours. My preference is to let it sit for around 22 hours.

Line a fine sieve with cheesecloth layers (I use 4 layers of cheesecloth). Position sieve over the container you'd like to store your cold brew concentrate in, and slowly pour coffee through the sieve until it's all strained. Cover cold brew concentrate and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the syrup:

Add 1 cup water and 1 cup brown sugar to a small saucepan set over medium-high heat. Stir to combine. Let mixture come to a boil and then cook until the brown sugar has dissolved (just a few minutes). Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Once cooled completely, add almond extract and stir. Store syrup in a covered jar or container in the refrigerator.

To serve:

Serve over ice (if you want), then dilute with water or your preferred milk/creamer. Stir in almond brown sugar syrup to taste.

Recipe Notes

Prep time does not include the 12-24 hours of inactive time for the cold brew to sit.

Nutrition is an estimate for one cup of cold brew and one tablespoon of the simple syrup.

Thanks, Kristen! I used the pack-able brown sugar for this syrup. I haven’t used sugar in the raw in a simple syrup myself, but I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t work if you’d prefer to use that instead. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

Hi! I'm Alyssa, a twenty-something podcast junkie with a penchant for baking, boots, and pretty little things. Also strong coffee and spunky dogs. There's a good chance I can be found in the kitchen, wearing sequins, and dreaming of DIY. ♥